Soho in the '70s

rick_chasey

http://www.referenced.co.uk/soho-london ... from-1973/

Enjoy, old people.

CiB

If you watch original episodes of Randall & Hopkirk (1969) a lot of the exterior shots are of central London. Two things leap out - the complete lack of traffic, and the ability to park just about anywhere that takes your fancy. And the fashions. Three things leap out then. I didn't expect that.

Headhuunter

CiB wrote:

If you watch original episodes of Randall & Hopkirk (1969) a lot of the exterior shots are of central London. Two things leap out - the complete lack of traffic, and the ability to park just about anywhere that takes your fancy. And the fashions. Three things leap out then. I didn't expect that.

Yeah I noticed that when watching 70s dramas.... The Sweeney's another one like that. 1 episode of Randall I watched a while back showed the Barbican being built!

mr_ribble

A liitle earlier, but at the start of the Ipcress Files, they film quite a bit around South Ken and the museums. No traffic, pull up to the kerb wherever you want and park the car. Not possible today without paying out a fortune.

I personally think the government need to grab the issue of congestion by the balls and make driving the worst option by a long way, and make PT or greener alternatives massively more favourable. Problem is its not a vote winning move.

rick_chasey

Mr_Ribble wrote:

A liitle earlier, but at the start of the Ipcress Files, they film quite a bit around South Ken and the museums. No traffic, pull up to the kerb wherever you want and park the car. Not possible today without paying out a fortune.

I personally think the government need to grab the issue of congestion by the balls and make driving the worst option by a long way, and make PT or greener alternatives massively more favourable. Problem is its not a vote winning move.

Yeah.

There are also a lot more people in London.

DonDaddyD

If all the people/families in London who drive on a weekend decided to take public transport, public transport wouldn't cope.

London is just too congested in general. There is also the anti-social and loutish behaviour of those on trains (weekends) from 6pm onwards. Trust me, with a little baby, it isn't a nice experience.

I'm not sure punishing drivers further would help.

Anyway, those pictures do look nice. I'm told it was simply a better time.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

Anyway, those pictures do look nice. I'm told it was simply a better time.

Yeah. Watching that '70s prog on BBC makes it sound particularly optimistic.

The figures for all the bad stuff in society, crime, murder rates, discrimination etc, are all higher in the '70s than they are now - with the exception of hard drugs.

I often think this when people talk about social welfare places for disabled people or support for abused children or whatever - more often than not they're less than 30 years old.

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

DonDaddyD

Rick Chasey wrote:

The figures for all the bad stuff in society, crime, murder rates, discrimination etc, are all higher in the '70s than they are now - with the exception of hard drugs.

Really or are you basing it on ancedtal evidence?

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

If all the people/families in London who drive on a weekend decided to take public transport, public transport wouldn't cope.

London is just too congested in general. There is also the anti-social and loutish behaviour of those on trains (weekends) from 6pm onwards. Trust me, with a little baby, it isn't a nice experience.

I'm not sure punishing drivers further would help.

Anyway, those pictures do look nice. I'm told it was simply a better time.

Yeah a better time. More sexism, more racism, more powercuts, more inflation...

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Yeah, everything was faded in the 70s and even earlier than that the world was monochrome.

Ben6899

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Everything was faded. Still... better than the 60s where everything was in black and white. And I don't know how people coped when everything was in sepia tones.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

The figures for all the bad stuff in society, crime, murder rates, discrimination etc, are all higher in the '70s than they are now - with the exception of hard drugs.

Really or are you basing it on ancedtal evidence?

Yeah for sure, look it up.

Best to look at things that were considered as bad then as now - things like domestic abuse and abuse towards minorities were more tolerated / not seen as an issue like they are today.

There have been and are peaks since - the '80s saw a big increase in crime as a result of the proliferation of illegal drugs - something which started in the '70s but really kicked up a notch later, but overall, things are better.

There are also studies which look at the perception of things like crime, and they stay pretty much constant whatever is happening to actual rates.

rick_chasey

Ben6899 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Everything was faded. Still... better than the 60s where everything was in black and white. And I don't know how people coped when everything was in sepia tones.

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Yeah, everything was faded in the 70s and even earlier than that the world was monochrome.

:P

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Everything was faded. Still... better than the 60s where everything was in black and white. And I don't know how people coped when everything was in sepia tones.

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Yeah, everything was faded in the 70s and even earlier than that the world was monochrome.

:P

Well, you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.

rick_chasey

No I mean it. For all I know things may not have been as brightly coloured.

mr_ribble

What about Snooker? How did they play snooker back then, let alone watch it.

Can you tell what is it yet, shouts Rolf.... no shout the audience, Its just all grey.. is it a Battleship?

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

No I mean it. For all I know things may not have been as brightly coloured.

I like you, you're funny. You make me chuckle.

mattsaw

Rick Chasey wrote:

No I mean it. For all I know things may not have been as brightly coloured.

I always think the same, for me the whole of the decade was beige and brown and looks slightly washed-out.

I think it's partly down to the quality of the film, also digital photography didn't exist so those pictures that are still around today tend to have faded anyway.

That and some terrible fashion choices

EKE_38BPM

Mattsaw wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

No I mean it. For all I know things may not have been as brightly coloured.

I always think the same, for me the whole of the decade was beige and brown and looks slightly washed-out.

I think it's partly down to the quality of the film, also digital photography didn't exist so those pictures that are still around today tend to have faded anyway.

That and some terrible fashion choices

Yup, beige, brown and washed out.

Bang on about terrible fashion choices though.

rick_chasey

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Bang on about terrible fashion choices though.

I call that '60s. :P

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Bang on about terrible fashion choices though.

I call that '60s. :P

You'd be wrong.

mattsaw

I can see beige and brown in that picture

whitebait01

Ben6899 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Quick question - I know the '70s enjoyed a lot brown colour wise, but was everything as faded as they look in the pictures - or is it just the picture quality?

Everything was faded. Still... better than the 60s where everything was in black and white. And I don't know how people coped when everything was in sepia tones.

mr_ribble

Rick Chasey wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

A liitle earlier, but at the start of the Ipcress Files, they film quite a bit around South Ken and the museums. No traffic, pull up to the kerb wherever you want and park the car. Not possible today without paying out a fortune.

I personally think the government need to grab the issue of congestion by the balls and make driving the worst option by a long way, and make PT or greener alternatives massively more favourable. Problem is its not a vote winning move.

Yeah.

There are also a lot more people in London.

1971 = 7,452,520
2006 = 7,657,300

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... .80.932000

rick_chasey

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

A liitle earlier, but at the start of the Ipcress Files, they film quite a bit around South Ken and the museums. No traffic, pull up to the kerb wherever you want and park the car. Not possible today without paying out a fortune.

I personally think the government need to grab the issue of congestion by the balls and make driving the worst option by a long way, and make PT or greener alternatives massively more favourable. Problem is its not a vote winning move.

Yeah.

There are also a lot more people in London.

1971 = 7,452,520
2006 = 7,657,300

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... .80.932000

'Cor - I stand corrected.

mr_ribble

Rick Chasey wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

A liitle earlier, but at the start of the Ipcress Files, they film quite a bit around South Ken and the museums. No traffic, pull up to the kerb wherever you want and park the car. Not possible today without paying out a fortune.

I personally think the government need to grab the issue of congestion by the balls and make driving the worst option by a long way, and make PT or greener alternatives massively more favourable. Problem is its not a vote winning move.

Yeah.

There are also a lot more people in London.

1971 = 7,452,520
2006 = 7,657,300

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... .80.932000

'Cor - I stand corrected.

Said the man in the orthopaedic shoes

mr_ribble

Have to admit, I was shocked when I found out. London population was highest after WW2. If you had asked me to guess what the population was then I would have said like 4mill perhaps.

rick_chasey

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Have to admit, I was shocked when I found out. London population was highest after WW2. If you had asked me to guess what the population was then I would have said like 4mill perhaps.

Me too.

EKE_38BPM

But what counts as London? Within the M25? Within the North/South Circular Roads. Within the London Boroughs? Within the area covered by the London County Council? Within the area covered by the GLC?

Conurbations in Britain don't have City Limits like they do in Yankland, so its hard to compare like with like.

Ben6899

Just to quickly make reference to the “I watched an old Randall and Hopkirk/The Sweeney episode the other day and the streets in Kensington were empty” contributions...

Not for a moment am I saying you’re incorrect, but I watched a new episode of “New Tricks” the other day and they were at Camden Market (in the old stables part). It was also very sparse of people, hardly anyone about. Anyone who knows Camden will know that, during the day in nice weather, there a people everywhere and it’s chocker block.

They had obviously ‘cleared the set’ or gathered on set at 7am for the purposes of shooting a clean scene. Maybe this is what happened with “Randall and Hopkirk” or “The Sweeney”?

rjsterry

Ben6899 wrote:

Just to quickly make reference to the “I watched an old Randall and Hopkirk/The Sweeney episode the other day and the streets in Kensington were empty” contributions...

Not for a moment am I saying you’re incorrect, but I watched a new episode of “New Tricks” the other day and they were at Camden Market (in the old stables part). It was also very sparse of people, hardly anyone about. Anyone who knows Camden will know that, during the day in nice weather, there a people everywhere and it’s chocker block.

They had obviously ‘cleared the set’ or gathered on set at 7am for the purposes of shooting a clean scene. Maybe this is what happened with “Randall and Hopkirk” or “The Sweeney”?

Quite. They ain't documentaries.